The Cincinnati Reds, in search of a left-handed-hitting outfielder, are showing interest in free agent Fred Lewis, according to major-league sources.

The Toronto Blue Jays didn’t tender a contract to Lewis after he batted .262 with eight home runs and 36 RBIs in 110 games last year. Lewis, 30, also stole 17 bases.

Lewis, a career .272 hitter, has played mostly left field in the big leagues. He would fit nicely into a Reds roster that includes right-handed hitters (Jonny Gomes and Drew Stubbs) in left and center field, respectively.

To some interested executives, the free-agent reliever is more of a left-handed specialist than a setup man or closer.

Fuentes, 35, evidently is doing something right. The Red Sox, Rays, Yankees and Twins are among the many teams interested in him, according to major league sources.

The issue, as always, is price.

Fuentes wants more than $5 million per season on a multiyear deal, several execs say. Those terms are affordable for a closer, high for a setup man and exorbitant for a specialist.

So, a team's view of Fuentes' proper role is crucial toward determining what that team believes he is worth. Some clubs also might be dismissive of Fuentes' accomplishments in an effort to drive down his price.

Fuentes' left-right splits show that he is indeed more effective against left-handed hitters. But it's not as if he's horrible against righties.

Last season, when Fuentes pitched for the Angels and Twins, left-handed hitters batted only .128 against him with a .222 on-base percentage and .149 slugging. Righties hit .202/.293/.403. Those splits are fairly consistent with Fuentes’ career patterns.

His problem against righties was that when he got hit, he sometimes was hit hard. He allowed 15 extra-base hits, including five homers, in 124 at-bats.

The good news: In 48 games, Fuentes produced a 2.81 ERA, the third-lowest of his career. His 1.063 walks and hits per innings pitched (WHIP) was a career best.

Even in '09, one of Fuentes' worst seasons, he earned 48 saves. The demand for him indicates that the industry still views him as quite valuable.

Bill Lajoie, a key part of building the 1984 world champion Detroit Tigers, died on Tuesday. Lajoie, 76, passed away while taking a nap after lunch, according to a close associate.

Lajoie had been working with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a special assistant to the general manager. Since leaving the Detroit Tigers in 1990 he held similar jobs with Atlanta, Milwaukee, Boston and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

An All-American at Western Michigan University, Lajoie had a nine-year playing career in the minor leagues, and then went to work for the Cincinnati Reds as a scout and manager in 1965.

He spent 23 years in the Detroit organization, beginning in 1968 as a scout and manager of the Tigers' rookie-league Bristol affiliate, becoming the coordinator of scouting in 1975, director of player procurement in 1975, vice president/assistant general manager in 1979, and the general manager in 1984.

As the first-base merry-go-around turns, the Orioles again are targeting Derrek Lee, according to major-league sources.

The question is whether the Orioles can satisfy Lee competitively, financially and geographically — and how strongly the Nationals remain in the mix for the 14-year veteran, who is coming off surgery on his right thumb.

The Padres offered Lee a one-year deal for more than $8 million before signing free agent Brad Hawpe to play first, sources say. Lee, 35, presumably would want similar money from the Orioles or Nationals, if not more.

His preference, according to a source with knowledge of his thinking, is to play for a contender and/or play out west. Lee, who is from Sacramento, Calif., now has a home in southern California.

The Padres might have been his best chance to go west. No other club in that part of the country currently has an opening at first. The Angels, who could use Lee and Kendry Morales in a first-base/DH rotation, are cool on Lee, a source said. Lee turned down a trade to join the Angels last summer.

The Orioles, prior to focusing on Lee, were pursuing Adam LaRoche, another free-agent first baseman. Those talks failed to progress, however, in part due to LaRoche’s desire for a three-year deal. The O’s are more comfortable with signing Lee for one year, sources said.

LaRoche also appeals to the Nationals, but few other teams appear to be looking for first basemen — and Jorge Cantu, Russell Branyan, Troy Glaus and Casey Kotchman are among those who remain on the open market.

The Orioles could play Luke Scott at first and sign a designated hitter, but prefer a stronger defensive alignment. Lee would help in that regard, and also provide leadership.

Free-agent right-hander Octavio Dotel pitched well for the White Sox in 2008 and '09, the last time he was in the American League. The Blue Jays evidently believe that at age 37, he can close successfully in the AL East.

The Jays, facing the loss of right-hander Kevin Gregg along with lefty Scott Downs, are "getting closer" to a one-year agreement with Dotel, according to a major-league source. The deal would be for approximately the same $3.5 million that Dotel made last season, the source said.

Dotel began 2010 with the Pirates after signing a free-agent contract. The Pirates traded him to the Dodgers on July 31, and the Dodgers flipped him to the Rockies on Sept. 18. Dotel converted 21 of 26 save opportunities with the Pirates. In 64 combined innings with the three clubs, he had a 4.08 ERA.

The Jays likely are intrigued that Dotel continues to strike out hitters at a high rate. He has averaged 11.37 strikeouts per nine innings the past four seasons, the fourth-highest rate in the majors behind Carlos Marmol, Billy Wagner and Jonathan Broxton. However, his walk rate is high and he struggles against left-handed hitters.

Sign with the Rangers,whose team physician, Keith Meister, performed a cleanup on Webb's right shoulder in Aug. 2009?

Or go with the Reds, whose pitching coach, Bryan Price, and trainer, Paul Lessard, both were with the Diamondbacks for much of Webb's tenure?

The Reds' interest in Webb is not confirmed, but Cincinnati is the principal challenger to Texas, according to major-league sources.

The Cubs and Nationals no longer are pursuing Webb, sources say - a development first reported by ESPN.com. The extent of the Reds' involvement with Webb is unclear.

The team also is talking with free-agent outfielder Scott Podsednik and exploring possible upgrades over Paul Janish at shortstop. Webb lives in Kentucky, but the Rangers appeal to Webb for a variety of reasons, sources say.

Manager Ron Washington and pitching coach Mike Maddux are strong selling points. And, while the Rangers' ballpark is hitter-friendly, the other AL West parks - Anaheim, Oakland and Seattle - are more favorable to pitchers.

Webb pitched only four innings the past two seasons due to shoulder problems. Pitchers with shoulder injuries are considered high-risk by clubs. As one exec said Sunday, Mark Prior never recovered fully while Joaquin Benoit enjoyed a spectacular breakthrough last season.

Only two National League teams last season had lower on-base percentages out of the leadoff spot than the Cincinnati Reds.

A free-agent leadoff man is available. He bats left-handed and could platoon with Jonny Gomes in left field.

His name: Scott Podsednik. And, yes, the Reds are interested in him, according to major league sources.

The extent of the Reds’ pursuit of Podsednik is not known, but the fit seems obvious. The Reds’ leadoff hitters combined for just a .306 OBP last season.

Second baseman Brandon Phillips, shortstop Orlando Cabrera and center fielder Drew Stubbs were the Reds’ primary leadoff men. Cabrera is gone. Phillips is more suited to hit lower in the order. Stubbs, 26, displays the requisite speed, but does not get on base enough.

Podsednik’s .340 career OBP is below average for a leadoff man. His OBP the past two seasons, however, is .347. So, although he turns 35 on March 18, he’s actually trending upward.

The Angels also have shown interest in Podsednik, who could help them offensively and make them more athletic in the outfield.

Closer Rafael Soriano almost certainly will be the next to depart. Reliever Grant Balfour probably is a goner as well. But there is a chance, however small, that Balfour could return.

Balfour, 32, is a Type A free agent, and teams historically forfeit high draft picks for right-handed setup types only with great reluctance.

Two similar pitchers, the Blue Jays’ Jason Frasor and Rangers’ Frank Francisco, accepted one-year, non-guaranteed contracts through salary arbitration rather than risk a limited demand on the open market.

Balfour, however, rejected the Rays’ offer of arbitration, believing he would land a multi-year contract elsewhere.

Chances are, he will.

Twenty-one of the 30 clubs cannot lose a first-round draft pick for signing Balfour. The worst they could do was forfeit a second rounder.

The Red Sox, Angels, White Sox, Phillies, Tigers and Nationals already have sacrificed first rounders for Type A free agents, and would lose only a second rounder for signing Balfour. The price could even drop to a third rounder if any of those teams added one of the other remaining Type As — Soriano, third baseman Adrian Beltre or right-hander Carl Pavano.

The teams that finished in the bottom 15 of the overall standings last season also cannot lose their first-round selections for a Type A free agent. Those clubs, too, can sign Balfour and sacrifice only a second rounder.

The Rays, then, need 21 teams to determine that Balfour is not worth the price of a second-round pick.